Orange Is The New Health: Carrots As A Superfood & Their Fermentation Magic

IF Insider No. 80

In our last issue (IF Insider No. 79) we looked at the mighty vagus nerve, including some easy-to-use stimulation techniques that can really make a difference in how you feel. Today, our focus is on a commonly overlooked superfood…carrots!

The Mighty Vagus: Your Nerve Superhighway to Health

And for our premium subscribers, in this week’s Research Spotlight, a discussion of a fascinating study on why working out only on the weekends can totally change your fitness program.

Our paid subscribers also get one of Ellen’s recipes each month. Last month, we taught you how to cook gai lan, Chinese broccoli, a welcome, easy-to-make, and delicious alternative to plain old supermarket broccoli.

Looking for a supportive group that “gets” your interest in IF and other cutting-edge health information? Our free intermittent fasting Facebook group, with over 1800 members, is a wealth of info, in addition to our new Longevity Experience membership.

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Unearthing the Superpowers of Carrots: Your Guide to Fermentation and Beyond

Photo by Gabriel Gurrola on Unsplash

A superfood is a food that packs a punch when it comes to nutritional content. You might be surprised to find out that carrots are among the superfoods.

Most people don’t get too excited about carrots, as they consider them a diet food on par with a stalk of celery. Boring but with a crunch. And as for cooked carrots...all they remember is they were a mushy and rather tasteless afterthought in the high school cafeteria. But today, I’m here to change your mind about carrots. Let’s look at why this is so.

Carrots are a very versatile vegetable. They can be enjoyed both raw and cooked or made into juice or incorporated into smoothies. And even though we are very used to thinking only of orange carrots, they actually come in several colors, including purple, red, and yellow. 

But just because they come in various colors doesn’t make them a superfood, so let’s get a closer look at carrots’ nutritional value. First of all, you have probably heard that carrots are good for your eyes. And yes, that is correct, but why?

That’s because of the high vitamin A content found in carrots. Just one medium carrot has 204 percent of the daily recommended amount of vitamin A. Actually, the carrots contain a compound known as beta-carotene which your body then uses to produce vitamin A. Vitamin A is also known as retinol, which helps your eyes adjust to changes in light levels and also helps to maintain the moisture and mucus levels of your eye tissues.

But Vitamin A is not the only vitamin carrots are rich in, as they are also an excellent source of both vitamin C and vitamin K. Among other functions, Vitamin C is associated with a healthy immune system and helps your teeth and gums stay strong, while vitamin K is necessary in helping your blood to clot.

Carrots are also a good source of potassium, which helps to lower your risk of stroke and high blood pressure and helps with anxiety. Potassium is essential as it helps to control your metabolism and strengthens your heart, muscles and nervous system. 

And finally, carrots contain a lot of fiber, which not only helps regulate your bowels but can help to control blood sugar and plays a positive role in weight management. Just one medium carrot has 2 grams of fiber or seven percent of your daily recommended requirement.

Ok, so there is the evidence for carrots’ superfood status. I’ll let you in on an extremely easy and fun way to prepare them in just a moment, but first, let’s look at carrots in the news.

Carrots in the News

A team of research scientists at Britain’s Lancaster University has been trying to find a way to strengthen cement and cut the building industry’s carbon dioxide emissions. Their solution? Carrots! The researchers used a kitchen food blender to mix carrot particles with concrete. The result? They increased the strength of the concrete by a whopping 80 percent simply by using a small amount of carrot. It works like this...carrots, even though they are made almost entirely of water, stay crunchy and rigid because of their cellulose content which are fibers that are very strong.

Wood also contains cellulose but the researchers used carrots because the cellulose was easier to extract. Their findings mean less cement is required for building purposes and this lowers the global carbon dioxide output. Most people don’t think of the building industry as a source of carbon dioxide but cement is responsible for seven percent of total global CO2 emissions.

Ok, back to a fun and unusual way to prepare carrots that you and your family will love. If you have been paying attention to healthy eating trends lately, you know that fermented foods such as kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, beet kvass, and other fermented foods are becoming very popular as an addition to a healthy diet.

One of the main reasons naturally fermented foods are getting so much press these days is that they help to strengthen your gut’s microbiome. The term ‘microbiome’ refers to the 100 trillion (yes, that trillion with a t) bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the human digestive tract. As strange as it may sound, research is finding more and more evidence that the balance of these gut organisms is linked to health conditions ranging from obesity to neurodegenerative disease.

But not all the fermented foods you see on your grocery store shelves are created equal. The reason that fermented foods are good for you is because they contain good bacteria known as probiotics. These probiotic bacteria are living organisms and are abundant in naturally fermented foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut, kimchi which is a naturally fermented spicy Korean pickled vegetable mix, and kefir which is a yogurt-like drink and some pickles, which you can find in the refrigerated section of your grocery.

But some pickles, jars of sauerkraut, and other foods, even some yogurts, don’t contain probiotics. How can you be sure the fermented foods you purchase contain beneficial living bacteria?

If you are purchasing yogurt, look for the words ‘contains live cultures’ on the label, and for other foods, the label may say ‘naturally fermented’. Also, the food in question will often have telltale bubbles that rise to the top when you open a naturally fermented jar of sauerkraut, half-sour pickles, or kimchi.

Most folks are put off by the difficulty of making their own fermented foods but fermented carrot sticks are easy to make. They keep well in your refrigerator and add a healthy, tasty, and tangy crunch to a meal or snack.

Here’s how to make fermented carrots

All you need are good-quality carrots, filtered water, a couple of cloves of garlic (optional) and pink salt (sea salt if you don't have the pink), and a quart jar with a lid.

Unlike many fermented foods, this recipe does not require whey as a starter. You will need something to hold the carrots completely under the brine as they ferment. I will tell you what I do about that as we go along..

One: Peel the carrots. It is hard to say how many carrots you will need, as they vary so much in size. I purchased two, 1 pound packages of organic carrots from my local Publix grocery and each package has about seven good-sized carrots in it. We are going to pack our quart jar just about as full as we can get it with carrot sticks.

Two: Cut the carrots into sticks. I like to make mine several inches long...good for dipping!

Three: Pack your jar by standing the carrot sticks up vertically. First I do one layer, then drop in two cloves of crushed garlic, then do a second layer. Before the jar gets full, I use 3 or 4 strips of plastic that I cut from an old milk jug and insert these down the sides of the jar. Continue to fill the jar with your carrot sticks and pack them tight.  But you want to leave a little room at the top for gas expansion. Then take the ends of your plastic strips and weave them over the tops of the carrots so they are held down. 

Four: Make a brine with your filtered water and pink salt by mixing 4 teaspoons salt with 16 ounces of lukewarm water. When the salt is completely dissolved, pour the brine solution over the carrots making sure they are completely covered but leaving a finger width of space at the top for gas expansion. Be sure you don’t use chlorinated water or iodized salt as this will stop fermentation.

Five: Put the lid on your jar. I then set mine on top of my refrigerator and cover it with a dishtowel to block out light. You will want to burp the jar daily by loosening the lid for a moment to get any build-up of gas escape. I have found that carrots ferment rather quickly and even without any starter, mine tend to start making a lot of bubbles in 24 hours or less. I have had the best results by leaving them to ferment for four days, then refrigerating them (after removing the plastic strips) in the brine.

Then simply pull out as many carrot sticks as you want for snacking. But be warned! These crunchy, tangy, slightly funky fermented carrots are quite addictive. As I said earlier, dipped in Ranch or Blue Cheese dressing, these make a wonderful snack or appetizer. 

Let us know if you make these and how you like them in the comments below.

Why It Matters

“If you truly get in touch with a piece of carrot, you get in touch with the soil, the rain, the sunshine. You get in touch with Mother Earth and eating in such a way, you feel in touch with true life, your roots, and that is meditation. If we chew every morsel of our food in that way we become grateful and when you are grateful, you are happy.”

~ Thích Nhất Hạnh -(1926 - 1922) - Vietnamese Thiền Buddhist monk, peace activist, author, poet and teacher, and the founder of the Plum Village Tradition. He is known as as the "father of mindfulness", and was a major influence on the practice of Buddhism in the West.

What We Are Reading 📚

Denise - If you’ve been reading the IF Insider for more than a couple of months, you know I’m a big fan of Dr. Peter Attia. Attia recently published his first (and he swears it’s his last) book, Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity.

As a special bonus for those who pre-ordered the book, Dr. Attia did a livestream video answering the most asked questions about the book. The live video was recorded in April or May 2023 and is now available for all as an episode on The Drive podcast, episode 261.

Ellen - New York Times bestselling author Amy Harmon’s What The Wind Knows, is a hauntingly beautiful work of historical fiction that sweeps the reader instantly into another time and place, the world of 1916 Ireland. Enchanting, hypnotic and heartbreaking, this is a book I couldn’t put down.

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